Wounds
by Denisea
Summary: When Lou is shot by an army deserter trying to steal her horse, not all wounds are the one caused by the bullet.
1. Chapter 1

Wounds

Back when _The Young Riders_ was still on-air (late eighties!) I wrote a bunch of stories in script form, mostly about Lou. Never thought to put them on Fan Fiction until I recently went browsing through FanFic & found the _Young Riders_ thread. So here's the first one, written as a protest on all the characters getting shot and being instantly healed by the next episode. I wrote all of the stories during the summer break after the end of season one, so no Noah or Jesse James or any of the other changes to the storyline. Did some minor revising when Emma was replaced by Rachel and Teaspoon discovered Lou's gender, but the series eventually went off to where my stories didn't fit the aired storylines. Anyway, here is the first story. It's complete, but was originally written in script format. It may take me some time to change all of the stories into narrative form. Reviews provide motivation, so read & review if you want more.

It was not ideal weather for running the mail. The night was dark, and the fact that it had been raining all day and was _still_ raining meant that her horse's footing would be tricky in the slippery mud. The only good part about this run was that it looked like she would at least get a hot meal before starting out. The patter of rain was annoying in its reminder of what she was in for, but the clunk of the last platter of food on the rough-hewn bunkhouse table was welcoming.

"Jimmy, it's your turn to say grace," Rachel said, looking at him.

Lou glanced at Jimmy and caught the wicked glint in his eye. "Good bread, good meat, good God, let's eat!" the irreverent rider said.

Buck stifled a laugh as Rachel shared her glare between the two riders. Then Rachel's expression softened, and she looked at Lou. "Lou, why don't you say the blessing?"

Lou obediently bent her head and murmured, "Dear Lord, thank you for the bounty we are about to receive. Amen."

It satisfied Rachel, and the older woman gave the nod that began the noisy grabbing of plates and banging of utensils and uninteresting conversations that drowned out the sound of the rain hitting the bunkhouse roof. Everyone was there except Kid, who was running the mail back and was expected back in a couple of hours. When he arrived, Lou would head out. But for now, her mind was on food. She filled her plate and began filling her mouth with the same decorum that the other riders used, which was to say, none.

Between bites, Teaspoon looked out at his riders and said, "You boys hear about Jack Keetley?"

"No, what?" Noah asked.

Teaspoon stuck a forkful of beans in his mouth and talked without emptying his mouth first. "He set the record for the longest distance traveled on relay. Rode Three hun'erd an' forty miles without stoppin'. Did it on a bet."

Cody wasn't impressed. "Bob Haslam rode three hundred and _eighty_ miles on one trip."

"Yeah, but that was with two rests," Buck pointed out.

Teaspoon swiped the last biscuit from the platter and shoved it into his mouth, still managing to talk around it. "The way I heard it, Keetley fell asleep in the saddle.

Cody's mouth quirked. "Far as I'm concerned, Pony Bob's record still stands. But only until I break it."

Jimmy's rivalry with Cody couldn't let that remark stand. "_You?_ Hell, you barely finish your runs now."

Ike picked up the empty biscuit plate and gestured towards it while looking at Rachel. No one needed a translator to know that he was asking if there were any more biscuits. Rachel took the plate and went to the cookstove. As she stood up, a motion outside the window caught her attention, and she peered through the wet gloom. "Rider comin'," she announced.

Lou stood up and wiped her mouth. So much for the hot meal.

Teaspoon motioned for her to sit down again. "Finish yer supper, Lou. It ain't no use yer goin' out on a night like this on an empty stomach."

Gratefully, Lou sat down again and hastily started shoveling beans into her mouth. She was barely aware of the chatter of the riders, concentrating mainly on filling her belly with something hot before she went out into the wet, miserable dark. But the opening of the bunkhouse door caught her attention, and she shared a quick glance with Kid before nabbing a couple of biscuits to stuff into her kit.

Kid took off his gear and hung it on his hook. He glanced again at Lou, then looked at Teaspoon. "They're having a dance down in Blue Creek on the twelfth."

Teaspoon looked up at the riders. "You boys—" he glanced at Lou and Rachel to include them as well, "—an' girls—kin go, if ya want to. Whoever ain't scheduled for relay, that is."

Lou pushed her plate away and stood up. "Ah'm done. Ah'll see all o' ya when ah git back."

As always, Kid found her soft Midwestern accent intriguing.

Rachel had sliced a generous portion of the apple cake she had made for dessert and had wrapped it in a napkin. She handed it to Lou. "Here, you can eat this on the way."

Lou stuffed the packet into her coat pocket. "Thanks, Rachel."

Kid put back on the coat he had just taken off. He hadn't realized Lou was the next one up when he came into the bunkhouse. "I'll see you off. I ain't washed up for supper yet, anyway."

Lou tightened the cinch on her horse Lightning's girth while Kid watched.

"Be careful, Lou. I saw some Paiutes between Joshua's station and Hooper's Creek my last time out that way."

She spared him a wry smile. "Ahm _always_ careful."

"It's rainin' mighty hard," Kid said, pointing out the obvious.

"Ah'd rather face the pourin' down rain than them Injuns, an they got more sense than t' set an ambush in weather like this."

"You gonna go to the dance in Blue Creek?"

Lou didn't see any sense in lying. "No."

"Why not?"

"Ah just ain't." She took the mail pouch from him and mounted up.

"Why not?" Kid pressed. "No one will recognize you in Blue Creek. Besides, who am I gonna dance with, if you don't go?"

"Well, then, it don't make any difference whether ah go, do it? Seein' as how ah cain't dance anyway."

She gave him the wry smile again and started for the barn door, but Kid caught her bridle. "You danced with me that one time in town."

"There wasn't nobody watchin' then, either," she reminded him.

"If you were interested, I'd be pleased to show you a few steps. There ain't nothin' to it, really."

Lou looked at him with all the intensity she could manage. "Well, ah ain't goin' to the dance, so just forget it." She jerked the bridle free from his hand, pulling her horse's head in the process. She patted Lightning's neck in apology, partly for the pulling of the reins and partly for the miserable run she was about to take him on, then squeezed his flanks with her heels and rode out into the rainy night.

"Ah, Hell," Kid muttered.

He was dressed in an army uniform which had seen better days. The man himself wasn't in any better condition, with a scruffy beard that itched with the same lice that had invaded his scalp. The horse he was leading out of the barn, on the other hand, appeared well cared-for, though was not of the confirmation of the leaner, more athletic Pony Express animals. This was a farm horse, used to the hard labor of pulling a plow or wagon during the day, then taking its well-earned rest at night, and it did not appreciate being saddled and taken from his warm, comfortable stall into the cold wet outside. Nor did it know this scraggly man who was taking it away from its hay and straw. So when it saw its master heading toward the farmhouse carrying an armload of firewood, it nickered.

The sound drew the instant attention of its master, who saw at once that the animal was being stolen, and dropped the firewood to run towards the army deserter. "Hey!" he shouted, drawing his gun.

The deserter already had drawn his gun, prepared for potential discovery, and took a shot at the horse's owner.

But the farmer was not about to let the theft of his horse go unanswered, and shot back, trying to be careful not to hit the horse. The noise made the animal shy, and the army deserter had his hands full with the horse in one hand and trying to shoot its owner with the other hand.

But just then the door to the house opened and the farmer's wife started to go outside. "John, what is it?"

"Amy! Get back inside!" the farmer shouted, his attention divided between trying to keep his family safe, and trying to keep his horse safe.

Somehow the deserter had mounted the horse, and the farmer tried to rush at him and grab the reins. The deserter shot at the farmer again, missing, but the horse panicked and side-stepped, forcing the farmer to let go. The deserter took advantage of the release to kick the horse to get it moving, and the farmer took aim, careful to sight his gun on the rider and not the horse. But the deserter took one last shot at the farmer, and by sheer luck managed to hit the farmer in the leg. The searing pain caused the farmer's finger to squeeze as his hand dropped the gun, and the horse whinnied in a way that the farmer had never heard before.

The farmer's wife, Amy, screamed, "No!" and ran to her husband. She picked up the gun and fired a few ineffectual shots at the deserter, emptying the chamber, then abandoned the gun to tend to her husband. A boy, maybe twelve or thirteen years old, came out of the house and tried to make out what was going on in the darkness. "Ma?" he said. Then he saw his father on the ground with her, groaning. "Pa!"

The farmer's wife had been hardened by the scrabble life on the prairie. She knew she had to stay calm and think what to do. "Josiah!" she said, addressing the boy. "Take the other horse! Ride to town and fetch the doctor!"

"Pa…" the boy began uncertainly.

The farmer gritted his teeth. "Get the Marshal, Son. Tel 'im…army deserter stole the horse. Tell 'im…I missed the deserter, but I think the horse was hit."

"Go!" Amy admonished him. "Tell the doctor to hurry!"

"But Pa…"

"Hurry, Josiah!" Amy ordered her son, then turned her attention back to her husband.

Josiah ran for the barn. He could ride bareback, which was a good thing since their only saddle had been stolen. He grabbed the small mare's bridle which hung on a hook next to its stall, shoved the bit the horse's mouth, and threw himself up onto the animal's back, then rode out into the rain, shivering because he hadn't even had time to grab his coat.

Rachel carried the plates she had just cleared from the table to the washpan. Habit caused her to search through the window for any signs of motion, whether or not she was expecting anyone to arrive at the station, but when she saw the shadows move, it surprised her. "Rider comin'," she said.

Cody looked up from retrieving the deck of cards he kept under his mattress, in preparation of whiling away the hours until it was time to sleep. "At this hour? In this weather?"

"That can mean only one thing," Teaspoon said.

"Trouble!" Buck finished.

They all headed for the door. Teaspoon opened it with the riders right behind him as the young figure riding bareback approached the bunkhouse. "That's Josiah Horton," Teaspoon said, puzzled.

Josiah rode up, breathless from the exertion and soaked to the skin, with teeth chattering. "Marshall! Mr. Hunter!"

"What is it, Josiah?" Teaspoon asked. "An' where's yer Pa?"

"Pa's been shot—" Josiah gasped. "Ma said—fetch you an' the doctor—army deserter was tryin' to steal our other horse—Pa said—missed the deserter but thinks the horse was shot—said the deserter's probably still in the area—"

"Ya done good, Josiah. Rachel, get him mah old coat. Now here's wot ah want ya to do. Ride into town an' tell the doctor to get his stuff together an' meet me at mah office. We'll get a posse together an' ride back out to yer place."

Josiah nodded and gratefully accepted the worn coat Rachel handed to him, shrugged into its oversized sleeves, and fastened the top button before turning the reluctant mare to the road leading towards the town. Teaspoon watched him leave and turned to see all his riders heading towards the barn.

"Where do you think yer goin'?" Teaspoon demanded, bringing them to a halt.

"Lou's headin' right past the Horton place," Kid replied.

"Ya can't _all_ go," Teaspoon said. "Ya got responsibilities here. Ah can't spare more 'n three of ya." He looked them over quickly. "Buck, Ike, an' Noah."

The three designated riders headed to the barn to tack their mounts.

Kid protested. "Teaspoon—"

But his boss remained firm. "You just got back from relay. Yer in no shape to go trapsin' through the countryside for who knows how long."

"But Lou—"

"You ain't gonna do her no good. Yer of more use here protectin' the station. "Sides, she'll prob'ly ride right past the Horton place an' not even know anything's wrong."

Lou heard something that didn't sound like it belonged to the rain or the night. She pulled her horse up to listen, and a pitiful voice competed against the battering of the rain against her hat. "Help me…" the voice pleaded. "Somebody help me…"

Lou located the direction of the sound and nudged her horse towards it. She saw a figure huddled on the ground, wrapped in a blanket.

"Help me…" the pathetic figure said again.

"What is it?" Lou asked. "Are you all right?"

The deserter threw off his blanket and pointed his gun at Lou. "I will be, once you hand over that horse. Now, get off. Nice an' easy, boy."

Lou hesitated, but only for the split second it took her to make up her mind whether to go for her gun or make a run for it. It was an easy decision. She'd always been a much better rider than a shooter. She squeezed Lightning hard, and the horse responded by springing into the darkness, back the way she had come. The deserter shot at her, missing the first two times, then getting her in the back of the shoulder on the third try. Lou cried out and clutched her shoulder, but kept her balance. Luckily, Lightning was so familiar with the trail that he knew where to go even though her riding signals had lost the elegance he was used to.

As she galloped back towards the station, the slippery mud caused Lightning to stumble slightly, and the pain in Lou's shoulder distracted her so much that she almost lost her balance. Feeling that his rider was less steady than she usually was, Lightning slowed his gait to a trot, and the bouncing caused Lou to cry out in agony and nearly fall off. Lightning compensated for her loss of balance by moving under her weight, and slowed to a walk. Lou hoped she was far enough from her ambusher that he wouldn't be able to follow. The reins slipped out of the fingers of the arm whose shoulder had been shot, and with her other fingers, she felt the warmth of the blood seeping through the underside her oil-slicked coat. Thank God it had been her and not the horse. "Home, boy," she whispered to Lightning. "Take me home…"

Jimmy was sighting down his rifle at an imaginary target as Cody looked out the window. Kid was pacing back and forth anxiously. The bunkhouse was dark, all the lamps having been extinguished to make it easier to see out into the night, and harder to see into the bunkhouse. Rachel was in the station house, which was equally dim but structurally more sound, keeping her own watch.

"If that deserter comes here, he'll be after supplies an' horses," Cody reasoned.

Jimmy tilted his head and spun the chamber of his revolver, actually looking forward to the prospect. "We'll be ready for 'im if he comes." He looked up and indicated the door. "Cody, let's you an' me stake out the barn. Kid can keep an eye on things here."

Kid nodded assent. He had good angles on anything approaching the house or the barn from the road, and watching the road would give him something to do besides worrying about Lou.

His fellow riders left, and Kid latched the door behind them. The latch wouldn't really stop anyone, just slow 'em down for a couple seconds, but no sense being caught by surprise. Then he pulled a chair over by the window and settled in for a long watch. He hated that Lou was out there. He'd stop her from riding if he could, but even just staying at the station carried its risks. Out here, there were Indians, and Road Agents, and army deserters, any of which would attack a farm or homestead as readily as a lone rider, not to mention such natural hazards as rattlesnakes, blizzards, rising rivers, diseases, and whatever else the West had to offer. The natural hazards he didn't mind so much. You prepared for them as best you could, and he could shrug off the rest as being God's will. But the cruelties of man to his fellow man—or woman, in the case of Lou—those were things he couldn't understand. He wasn't so sure God had any control over that, either. It wasn't God's will for people to hurt each other. That was the will of the individual doing the hurting. Kid just hoped and prayed that he and those he loved would survive.

Those he loved.

Like Lou.

Lou slumped in her saddle. She was so familiar with this stretch that she could sense rather than see the station in the distance, the black silhouettes of the station house, bunk house, barn, and holding pens against the ever so slightly less black background. Strength of will had carried her this far, but now that she had so nearly arrived, that will seemed to have left her. She fell sideways out of the saddle, the jolt of landing on the ground unleashing another cry of agony.

Then with all the volume she could muster, she weakly called out, "Kid—" But she knew that she was too far away for anyone to hear her, especially over the rain. Lightning stayed with her, not leaving her even to go back to his home in the barn.

Lou tried to get up again, but it was useless. Every ounce of her strength was gone. She needed help, but now the help had to come to her. With her good arm, she reached for her gun, drew it out of the holster, thumbed the hammer back, and…

In the barn, Cody and Jimmy heard the shot.

"What was 'at?" Cody asked, grabbing his rifle and heading for the door.

"Gunshot," Jimmy replied, beating him to the door. Jimmy exited and pointed his weapon towards the figure he saw coming from the direction of the bunkhouse, then shifted his aim as he saw who it was. "It's me!" Kid said, unnecessarily.

There was a second shot, and the riders quickly formed an outward-facing triangle of sorts, trying to locate the sound and figure out why they were hearing it.

"Where'd it come from? Kid asked.

"Where's Rachel?" Cody wanted to know.

Rachel came running from the direction of the house, carrying a rifle. "Right here!"

"What the Hell's goin' on?" Jimmy asked.

Lou could see them, recognized which one was Kid, but she was still too far away for them to hear her weak cries for help. She thumbed back the hammer for the third time and angled the barrel of her pistol towards the sky.

With the third shot, Kid was able to locate the direction of the sound. He squinted and could make out the form of a horse in the darkness, a horse whose shape he recognized. "There!" he said, taking off at a run.

"Kid, be careful!" Rachel called.

Jimmy finally saw what Kid had seen. "That's Lou's horse!" he said, holstering his gun and taking off after Kid. Cody and Rachel followed him.

The gun slipped from Lou's fingers, and she collapsed back into the mud. She had done it. She saw Kid running towards her, and knew that he would take her the rest of the way home. If she died now, at least it wouldn't be alone.

Kid slid to a stop in the mud and collected her in his arms. "Lou!"

She grimaced at the movement but tried to cover the grimace by smiling weakly. "Hi, Kid."

He started to pick her up, then looked at his hand from where he had touched her. In the darkness, it looked like nothing, just the same color black as the mud on the ground, but its sticky warmth told him immediately what it was. "Oh, my God."

The others caught up in time to hear him murmur the phrase that could have been an oath or a prayer.

"What is it?" Jimmy asked.

"What happened?" Rachel wanted to know.

Kid looked up at them, the anguish on his face hard to read in the darkness but readily apparent in his voice. "Lou's been shot."


	2. Chapter 2

Kid looked up to Rachel, Teaspoon's second in command, for what to do.

"Let's get her out of the rain," Rachel said.

"The pouch—" Lou began. Teaspoon had trained the riders to value the pouch above all else.

"Cody, take the pouch," Rachel ordered.

Lou tried to reach out to her replacement, but ended up just waving in the air. "Cody! Don't stop for nothin'. Thought he was hurt…"

Rachel double checked that Cody was listening. "You hear that, Cody? Don't stop for nothin'."

Cody nodded and threw a leg over Lightning's back, and took off the way Lou had just come. Lightning neighed in protest, but Cody pushed him back onto the road, and the horse quickly adapted to the change in riders and return to the route, and Lightning with Cody on his back disappeared back into the night.

As carefully as he could, Kid lifted Lou in his arms, but the shift caused her to cry out as her useless right arm dangled in the air. Jimmy quickly tried to gather the arm on the other side and help Kid get her into the station house. "Easy, easy!" Kid told him.

Once inside the station house, Kid and Jimmy carefully transferred her face-down to the bed in the parlor, somehow managing to get her coat off her without causing her too much pain. Rachel lit all the lamps in the parlor, then went to her sewing box for her scissors.

"You fixin' to ruin mah good shirt?" Lou asked her, with a wan attempt at humor.

"Sorry, Lou," Rachel said, and proceeded to cut her shirt off around the wound. "I might be able to save the coat, though."

"That's good, ah guess." Lou closed her eyes and grunted as Rachel gingerly felt around her shoulder, looking for an exit wound and finding none.

Rachel looked up at Kid and Jimmy. "Bullet's still in there. She needs a doctor."

"Doc's tied up at the Horton's," Jimmy reminded her.

"Do we wait for him? Kid asked.

"Longer we wait, the more chance for infection," Rachel said. "An' if we send to the Horton's for the Doc, it's one less rider here if that army deserter followed Lou back. We'll have to dig it out."

"Ah don't want the Kid here," Lou said.

"Lou—" Kid protested.

"Ah mean it," Lou insisted. "Get him outta here."

"I'm gonna need help holdin' you down, Lou," Rachel told her.

"Jimmy can do it," Lou replied.

Rachel hesitated, then nodded. "All right." She looked up at her two riders and said to the first, "Kid, wait outside. Keep an eye out for the deserter. Jimmy, look in that top cupboard there—" She indicated which one with her head. "There's a little bit left of a bottle of whiskey. Pour it down her throat. It ain't much, but it might help a little."

Kid reluctantly did as he was told, and Jimmy got the whiskey bottle. Rachel disappeared and then momentarily reappeared with a couple of bowls, a short knife, and a clean sheet to tear into bandages.

"Here, Lou," Jimmy said, rolling her slightly and lifting her head to hold the bottle to her lips. "Drink this."

Rachel spared him a glance from her bandage tearing. "Easy, now. Little swallows. No sense wastin' it."

It didn't take Lou long to finish what was left of the whiskey, and Jimmy gently laid her back down on the bed. "How do you feel?" Rachel asked her.

Lou tried to laugh. "As sober as the day ah was born."

"I wish there was more," Rachel said, regretting that she had drunk what was missing from the bottle.

"Me, too," Lou responded.

Rachel opened the door to the wood burning stove and heated the blade of the knife until it was red-hot. She withdrew it, waited for it to cool, and then nodded to Jimmy.

Kid paced outside the station house, alternately scanning the area around the station, and glancing back at the now bright parlor window. Ages passed before Jimmy and Rachel opened the door and came out.

"How is she?" Kid asked.

Jimmy shrugged. "Bullet's out. That's all I know."

"Can I see her now?"

Rachel nodded, and Kid bolted inside, leaving Rachel and Jimmy to talk in private.

"She didn't move," Jimmy said incredulously. "Must've hurt like Hell, but she didn't move…"

"I don't know many _men_ who could hold still like that," Rachel commented.

"She cried, though," Jimmy noted.

Rachel looked at him. "Wouldn't _you_?"

Jimmy broke off the eye contact and sighed. "Well, what do we do now?"

"Now comes the hard part," Rachel told him. "We wait."

The rain had finally let up, the sun had risen and most of the day had passed, but the weather was still gloomy and the trail was still muddy when Cody returned to the station, ready to pass the pouch off to Jimmy. No word had been received from Teaspoon or the others on the army deserter, but Cody had spared a few minutes to stop at the Horton place and inquire about John Horton. Horton had been lucky. The bullet had passed through his leg without hitting the artery. The bone had been broken, but the doctor thought it was a clean break and there was a good chance Horton might walk again. For now, he was laid up and everyone was just hoping there wouldn't be an infection. If he made it through the first stages, it would be a couple months before Horton could even try to use the leg, and a lot longer than that before he'd be able to walk. In the meantime, Josiah was having to shoulder most of the burden of running the farm. No doubt Teaspoon would send the riders to do what they could to help when they weren't running the mail until Horton was back on his feet.

Cody rode up to the station with the east-bound pouch, ready to hand it off to Jimmy. "How's Lou?" he asked.

"Too soon to know yet," Jimmy replied.

"Teaspoon an' the others make it back yet?"

"Not yet. Listen, Cody, I'm gonna give you the opportunity of a lifetime. How would you like to break _both_ Jack Keetley's and Bob Haslam's record by takin' my run?"

Cody sighed in understanding. "You want to stay here with Lou," he said.

"Yeah," Jimmy admitted.

Cody sighed again, then remounted with the pouch on Jimmy's horse. "Doin' somethin's better than doin' nothin'."

Lou was sitting up, a slight sheen on her face, the too-large shirt partially unbuttoned and off her shoulder. Rachel finished tying a knot on the bandage.

"How bad is it?" Lou asked.

"I seen better," Rachel admitted. Then she added, "I seen worse, too, so don't start panickin'." She felt Lou's forehead, and an expression of concern crossed her face before she covered it up and smiled at Lou reassuringly.

She went outside the station house to the porch where Kid and Jimmy waited anxiously.

"How is she?" Kid asked.

"It's infected, all right," Rachel said.

Kid closed his eyes, and Jimmy muttered, "Damn."

"She's askin' to see you," Rachel said.

Kid started for the door, but Rachel caught his arm. "Not you. Jimmy."

Jimmy looked at Rachel, then went inside the house. Kid watched him go in with more than a little hurt on his face.

When Jimmy went into the parlor, he covered his concern with a devil-may-care smile. "You wanted to see me?"

"Yeah," Lou said, a little awkwardly. "Ah wanted…to say thank you for helpin' Rachel take the bullet out. Ah'm afraid…ah forgot mah manners for a while there.

"Don't worry about it," Jimmy replied.

"Ah…also wanted to ask ya for a favor."

"Name it," Jimmy said.

Lou swallowed and said, "Jimmy, if ah don't make it, ah want ya to do somethin' for me."

Jimmy's heart leapt into his throat, but his expression didn't change. "What are you talkin' about? You're gonna be fine."

"Please…just listen. In mah things, there's a box. Ah want ya to promise me you'll take that to Sister Amelia at the orphanage."

"Lou—"

"Ah'd ask the Kid, but…you know…"

Jimmy was silent for a second, then nodded. "All right."

Lou relaxed. "Thanks, Jimmy."

Jimmy brushed the hair out of her eyes. "You're gonna be fine, Lou…"

Two kerosene lamps were burning in the parlor, staving off the blackness of the night, as Kid sat on the edge of the bed, trying to spoon more of the nearly full bowl of soup into her mouth, but she shook her head.

"Don't want any more, thanks."

"You gotta eat, Lou."

"Not hungry."

After another moment, Kid relented. "All right. Get some rest, then." He helped her settle back down flat from the pillows she had been propped up on, then started to stand up with the bowl.

"Kid—" Lou said suddenly.

He turned back to her. She looked like she was going to say something, then changed her mind.

"Nothin'…" She shook her head.

Kid left, with the bowl.

Kid had lost track of time, but the sun wasn't up yet. He was sitting on a chair by Lou's bedside, where he'd been sitting most of the time, except for short walks around the parlor to stretch his legs.

He wrung water out of the rag in his hands, and wiped it across her head as she stirred restlessly.

"Rachel?" she asked.

"It ain't Rachel, Lou. It's me."

"Kid?"

"That's right."

"Kid…ya cain't tell."

Kid put the rag back in the bowl of water and wrung it out again. Lou wasn't here. She was in another time, and another place, back when he barely knew who—or rather, _what_—she was.

"Nobody knows but you. Kid, ya cain't tell."

"I won't tell," Kid promised her, again.

Rachel and Jimmy found Kid sitting in the chair with his head propped in his hand. At first they thought he was asleep, but he turned to look at them even though they'd been as quiet as they could.

"How is she?" Rachel asked.

"The same," Kid replied. "Fever seems to come and go. She's sleepin' now."

Rachel put her hand on his shoulder. "You could use some sleep yourself. Go on to the bunkhouse." 

"I'd rather stay," Kid answered.

"Go on, Kid," Rachel urged. "It's Jimmy's watch, now. We'll wake you if anything changes."

"Just a little while longer."

"No. A' that's an order."

"But—"

"No 'buts,' Kid. Come on."

Kid reluctantly gave his seat up to Jimmy and let himself be taken by the shoulders and propelled towards the door. He was so tired, he barely kept his eyes open as Rachel guided him to the bunkhouse and his bunk. She pulled his boots off, and he lay down on his side in his clothes.

"You'll wake me if there's any change. You promise."

"I promise. Now get some sleep."

Rachel left the bunkhouse as quietly as she could and was on her way back to the station house when she heard Jimmy's muffled shout. "Rachel! Rachel, I need you!"

She picked up her skirts and ran to the house. When she got to the parlor, she saw Jimmy holding Lou down by her wrists as she struggled violently on the bed.

"What's goin' on?" Rachel asked.

Even in the dim light, Rachel could see that Lou was flushed and drenched in sweat. "Let me go!" Lou shouted.

To Rachel, Jimmy said, "She's fevered again! If we don't hold her down, she'll hit her head or hurt herself some other way!"

Lou got an arm free and managed a hard swipe at Jimmy's face. He caught her wrist again.

"Let go o' me! You touch me, an' ah'll kill you." Lou said.

"Lou! It's me!" Jimmy said.

Lou kept fighting. "Ah swear ah will! You let me go!"

Rachel took her face in her hands and tried to get her to focus. "Lou! You're at the station!"

Lou subsided a little. "Emma?"

Rachel traded looks with Jimmy, then said, "That's right."

"Emma…" Lou's struggles gave way to exhausted sobbing, and Jimmy tentatively released her. She didn't start thrashing again, so he gave up his place to Rachel, who pulled her close and stroked her hair. As Rachel soothed her, Jimmy moved back and watched.

"Shhh. You're safe, now, Lou," Rachel said.

"Hurts, Emma."

"I know. I know." Rachel motioned for the bowl of water and rag, and Jimmy watched her cool Lou down until Lou slipped back into an exhausted sleep.

Finally, Jimmy shook his head. "Somehow I get the feelin'…work ain't the only reason Lou wears pants."


	3. Chapter 3

Although it was day outside, the curtains were closed and the room was dim. Even so, the filtered light bothered Lou's eyes when she opened them. She closed them and turned her head away from the window before opening them again. There was a figure sitting in the chair next to the bed, and she thought she knew who it would be.

"Kid?" she said quietly.

"Just me, Lou," Jimmy replied.

"Jimmy…can ah…have some water, please?"

Jimmy reached over and felt her forehead. His smile in response was genuine. "Anything you want." He went across the room to pour a cup of water from the pitcher, went back to her bedside, and helped her sit up to drink it. She swallowed some and handed the cup back to him.

"Thanks," Lou said.

"How do you feel?"

"Okay, ah guess, considerin'."

"Considerin' what?" Jimmy asked.

"Considerin' mah shoulder hurts like Hell. You been with me the whole time?"

"We all took turns."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome." The silence felt awkward, so Jimmy broke it. "You want somethin' to eat?"

"No," Lou said. "Just want to sleep for a month or two."

"Well lie down, then, and I'll get you something to eat the next time you wake up." He helped her back down and pulled the cover up to her chin as she looked up at him. "I'm glad you're okay," he said.

"Thanks," Lou said."

"I really mean that."

"Me, too."

Lou stood in front of the mirror with her back to it. Her left hand pulled her shirt partially down from the right shoulder, trying to get a look at her wound.

Jimmy came in with a plate of food and caught her. "What are you doin'? You ain't s'posed to be up!"

"Shh!" Lou said. "Keep you voice down, will you? Before Rachel hears."

Jimmy put the plate down and stood akimbo. "She's gonna hear a lot more 'n the sound of my voice if you don't get back to bed."

"But—"

"No 'buts.' Back you go." He helped her back to the bed and covered her.

She sighed. "Ah just wanted to see."

"Well, I seen it for you. It ain't green, an' it's healing, so I reckon you'll live. Besides, you can't see it through the bandages, anyway."

Lou rolled her eyes, blew out another lung-full of air, and twiddled her thumbs. Jimmy indicated the plate of food with his eyebrows raised in question. Lou shook her head, and Jimmy moved the plate away, for later. It was almost…funny watching her deal with her boredom.

"Kid around anywhere?" she asked finally.

"Hell, Lou, _some_body's gotta run the mail while you laze around all day."

"Ah take it Cody made it back in one piece, then?"

"Yeah, an' he's full o' himself for breakin' the record, so don't encourage him. He was just in to see you a little while ago, but you were still sleepin'." He watched her foot tap the bedclothes for a moment, and laughed. "I brought you somethin'. Might help take your mind off that shoulder." He reached into a shirt pocket and withdrew a small box.

"What's this?" Lou asked.

"Well, open it, an' find out."

Lou opened the box and pulled out a cameo necklace.

"A cameo on a gold chain," Jimmy said. "See? I remembered."

"Jimmy—"

Remember that time you were gonna help me pick out somethin' for Sarah?"

"That was so long ago."

"Ain't so long ago as all that."

"Jimmy…ah cain't accept this."

"What, you don't like it?"

"No, it ain't that. It's…it's too much." She tried to give it back.

"It wasn't too much when you were thinkin' I should buy it for somebody else."

"That was different."

"Different, how? Come on, Lou, you're gonna hurt my feelin's if you don't accept it."

Lou hesitated, thinking it over.

"Here, why don't you let me put it on for you? Come on, Lou. I wouldn't've bought it if I didn't want you to have it."

Lou weakened, and Jimmy fastened it around her neck. She admired the cameo for a moment. "It _is_ pretty…"

"Like you." He bent toward her, and she turned away and tried to take the necklace off.

"Ah really shouldn't keep this," she said.

"Why not?"

"An just…shouldn't, that's all."

"Well, you're gonna have to, 'cause I ain't undoin' it, an' you can't get it with just one hand." He started to leave, then turned back. "Listen, you want anything? A book or somethin'?"

"No, ah'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Ah'm fine. Really."

"Okay, then." He started to leave, then turned back again. "If you think of somethin' you want, you just let me know, okay?"

Lou nodded, as much to get rid of him as anything else.

Jimmy started to leave again, then turned back for the third time. "You stay put, now. Last thing you need is to open that shoulder up again."

He left, finally. Lou let out a long breath, then looked down at the cameo around her neck. Her expression was troubled.

Jimmy was chopping wood as Teaspoon and the others returned from their search for the army deserter. Jimmy abandoned his chore to meet them. Teaspoon and the other riders were all obviously tired.

"Hail the conquerin' heroes!" Jimmy said. "Did ya get 'im?"

"No," Buck said. "All we found was a dead horse."

Noah nodded his head toward Buck and added, "Wouldn't even have found that, if it hadn't been for Buck. That deserter's prob'ly long-gone by now."

Jimmy sighed. "Well, you're gonna wish you'd got him, when I tell you what happened."

"What happened?" Buck asked.

Cody's bored audience consisted of Teaspoon, Rachel, Buck, Ike, Kid, and Jimmy. They'd all heard the story a dozen times, but the truth was, they were all too tired to try to get him to quit telling it, and somehow the events seemed to become more and more exaggerated with each re-telling.

"So by that time, I'd already gone through fifteen horses, an' I knew I'd already passed Bob Haslam's mark—" Cody was saying.

Rachel held out a plate she had filled first, before the rest of the food was ready to be placed on the table. "Who wants to take Lou's supper to her?"

Kid was about to volunteer, when the bunkhouse door opened, and Lou came in. "That ain't necessary," she said.

"You're s'posed to be restin'," Kid admonished.

"Ah've had enough rest. Ah'm hungry.

Jimmy smiled and slid over on the bench to make room for her. "Well, sit down, then."

"Like I was sayin,' Cody went on, "by that time, I'd already gone through fifteen horses, an' already broke Haslam's record—"

Jimmy groaned. "Cody, nobody cares about the record."

"_Ah_ do," Lou said. "But only 'cause ah intend to break it."

Ike signed something.

"What was that Ike?" Cody asked.

Buck translated. "He says you exaggerate your stories so much that no one will believe you broke the record anyway."

Lou tried to cut her meat but had some trouble managing it. Kid started to reach for her plate to cut it for her, but Jimmy beat him to it.

"Thanks," Lou said quietly.

Cody turned to Teaspoon. "You know, Teaspoon, anyone who breaks a record like that deserves a pay raise.

Lou looked up and spoke through a mouthful of meat. "Personally, ah think anyone who gets _shot_ at in the line of duty deserves a pay raise."

"Lou's got a point," Buck said. "You remember that time someone took a shot at me by Three Crossings because they thought I was an Indian?"

"Hell, you _are_ an Injun," Jimmy reminded him.

"Besides, they missed you," Lou pointed out.

Cody was heading back to the bunkhouse from stable chores when Lou met up with him. "Cody?" she said.

He raised his eyebrows.

"Ah was…wonderin' if ah could ask you for a favor."

Kid heard the voices coming from the barn and investigated curiously.

"_One_-two-three." Cody was saying. "_One_-two-three. _Right_-left-right. _Left_-right-left."

Lou sighed. "It ain't no use, Cody. Ah'm never gonna git it."

Kid smiled and opened the door. "What's goin on?" he asked.

Lou pulled her hands away from Cody's and moved away from him. "Nothin'," she said. "Thanks anyway, Cody."

Cody gave his head a single emphatic shake. "Now don't give up, Lou. All you gotta do is get the feel of the rhythm."

"'Scuse me, Cody," Kid said, extending his hand. "Here, Lou, let me show you."

Lou ignored the hand. "That's okay, Kid. You don't have to."

"I don't mind," Kid said.

"You will when ah step on your toes."

"I got shoes on. And back in Virginia I was known as a pretty fair dancer."

Lou hesitated, then relented. "All right."

Kid took her into a dance hold a little awkwardly. "All right, Lou. Just…keep your arm stiff. Ready?"

Lou nodded.

"_One_-two-three," Kid said. "_One_-two-three. Other foot, Lou."

"Told ya ah'd step on your toes."

The problem, Kid decided, was that Lou didn't have anyone to demonstrate for her what she was supposed to do. He let go of Lou and turned to the rider behind him. "Here, Cody, I got an idea. Why don't you be the girl and show Lou how it's done."

"Aw, Hell, Kid. Why don't _you_ be the girl."

"'Cause it's my idea."

A wicked twinkle shined in Lou's eye, and she winked at Kid before turning her face into an earnest plea. "C'mon, Cody. Show me how it's done."

Cody looked at her and relented. "Oh, all raht."

Kid bowed to Cody. "May I have this dance?" 

Cody batted his eyes and answered in a falsetto voice. "Why, ah'd be ever so delighted."

They got into position rather awkwardly, with Cody starting to take the man's part and then having to change back.

"_One _-two-three," Kid counted. "_One_-two-three. Ready-set-go."

Cody stepped on the wrong foot. "Sorry."

"_One_-two-three," Kid counted again.

They started again, and this time, they managed to get up a fairly tolerable waltz. Then the barn door opened, and Teaspoon stood there gaping. "What in the Hell are you boys doin' in here?" Teaspoon thundered.

Kid and Cody broke apart as soon as Teaspoon let out his first word.

"Hell, Teaspoon," Cody said, "Don't you ever knock?"

"Ah repeat," Teaspoon demanded, putting his hands on his hips. "What are you doin' in here."

"Practicin' for the dance," Kid told him. He turned to Lou, who obliged by attempting the footwork for a box step. "_One_-two-three? Like that?"

"Hold it," Teaspoon said.

"You gotta be on opposite feet," Kid told her. "The man starts with the left foot, and the lady starts with the right."

A little louder, Teaspoon repeated, "_Hold_ it."

Ignoring him, Kid took Lou into a dance hold and started counting off. "_One_-two-three."

Tired of being ignored and determined to show the riders who the boss of this station was, Teaspoon shouted, "HOLD IT!"

The three riders stopped and looked at him.

Teaspoon eyed them all. "Who said Lou was gonna go to this dance?"

Kid and Cody looked at Lou suspiciously.

"Uh, _you_ did, Teaspoon," she said.

"Ah don't recollect sayin' no such thing." Teaspoon said.

Lou nodded vigorously. "Right before ah got shot, you said whoever ain't on the schedule could go. Well, ah ain't on the schedule."

"That shoulder needs time to heal," Teaspoon said firmly. "You shouldn't even be _up_ yet."

"It's practically healed already," Lou said. She presented her left shoulder and squeezed it to demonstrate. "Here, take a squeeze."

Teaspoon looked at her, then squeezed the shoulder tentatively. "That don't hurt?"

"Not a bit," Lou told him.

Teaspoon shifted his hand and squeezed again. "How 'bout _that_?"

"No, nothin'," Lou assured him.

"Huh!" Teaspoon said in something approaching disbelief.

"So can ah go?" Lou asked.

"We'll see," Teaspoon said.

She grinned, but Teasoon went on. "Don't git ahead o' yerself. A 'we'll see' ain't a 'yes.' But you boys remember, if that shoulder opens up again, _yer_ the ones as gonna hafta take the runs." He turned and went back out of the barn the way he had come.

Cody watched him go with his tongue poking into his cheek. When he was sure Teaspoon was out of earshot, he said, "Uh, Lou?"

"Yeah?" she answered.

"Just _which_ shoulder was it got shot?"

Lou pointed to her right shoulder. "This 'un."

"An' which shoulder was it Teaspoon squeezed?"

Lou pointed to her left shoulder. "This 'un."

Cody took a second to absorb that before he said, "That's what I thought."

Lou opened the barn door and peeked inside to make sure no one was there. She didn't see Jimmy, who was quietly taking a break from mucking stalls. She entered, closed the door behind her, stood still for a moment, then started moving her feet and counting out loud, softly, in a polka rhythm that quickly deteriorated into a waltz rhythm. "One-two-_three_; one-two-_three_; _one_-two-three; _one_-two-three—Hell, that ain't it."

Jimmy leaned against the wall of the stall and watched her, still unnoticed.

Lou took a breath and tried it again. . "One-two-_three_; one-two-_three_; _one_-two-three; _one_-two-three—"

Finally Jimmy could stand it no longer. "What the Hell are you doin'?"

Lou whirled around to see him, then sighed. "Practicin'." She started again. "One-two-_three_; one-two-_three_—"

"Practicin' _what_?" Jimmy wanted to know.

"Polka," Lou told him. "_One_-two-three—oh!" She stamped her foot in frustration, and the reverberation made her wince and grab at her shoulder.

"Who the Hell taught you to polka like _that?_" Jimmy asked.

Lou ignored him, and tried again. "One-two-_three_; _one_-two-three—"

"Yer rhythm's all wrong," Jimmy told her.

"Tell me somethin' ah _don't_ know," Lou shot at him. "One-two-_three_; one-two-three…"

Jimmy abandoned his chore and went up to show her. "Here—" he said, opening his arms for a dance hold.

Lou moved away. "Never mind, Jimmy. It ain't no use. Kid's been tryin' to show me all day, but the problem is ah just ain't got the talent for it."

Jimmy shook his head. "The problem is, the Kid don't know what the Hell he's doin'."

"Forget it, Jimmy. It just don't come natural to some people, an ah guess ah'm one of 'em."

Jimmy laughed. "Hell, Lou, anyone who can ride can learn how to polka."

Lou spread her hands. "Look, ah ain't gonna git it, an' that's that."

"You got it already. You just don't _know_ that you do."

"Huh?" Lou said.

"Just humor me for a minute. How does a horse sound when it's gallopin'?"

Lou rolled her eyes. "Jimmy—"

"Now, come on. How does a horse sound when it's gallopin'?"

Lou sighed, then in a quick imitation of a horse, answered, "Buh-duh-dum; buh-duh-dum; buh-duh-dum; buh-duh-dum."

"Right," Jimmy said. "Now do it again, slower."

A little slower, Lou repeated, "Buh-duh-dum; buh-duh-dum; buh-duh-dum; buh-duh-dum."

"Slower," Jimmy said.

Slower still, Lou repeated, "Buh-duh-dum; buh-duh-dum; buh-duh-dum; buh-duh-dum," And simultaneously Jimmy counted out, "One-two-_three_; one-two-_three_; one-two-_three_; one-two-_three_."

Lou grinned as comprehension sunk in. "One-two-_three_; one-two-_three_; one-two-_three_; one-two-_three_—ah got it!"

Jimmy took her into a dance hold. "See? Now just do that with your feet."

Lou looked down at her feet to watch them as Jimmy led her into a side-step-step, side-step-step simple polka, and counted out the beats. "One-two-_three_; one-two-_three_; one-two-_three_…" She looked up at Jimmy. "That's it?"

Jimmy smiled. "That's it." He bent towards her, but she avoided him.

"Jimmy, ah think we better talk."

"What, we ain't talkin' now?"

"Ah mean…about you an' me."

Jimmy's smile didn't change. "What about you an' me?"

A little hesitantly and awkwardly, Lou said, "Ah like you a lot, Jimmy. Ah really do."

"I like you, too, Lou."

"That's just it, see. Ah like…bein' friends with you."

"Bein' friends is important to me, too," Jimmy said.

Lou let out a relieved breath. "Ah'm glad you understand."

"Well, now that we got that cleared up, you wanna try this again?"

_Just one more chapter to go. As I said, I originally wrote this story when Season One was still airing, back in the late eighties. After Season Two began, I started revising to fit the events of the series, but eventually gave up. I'll get the next and last chapter up within a couple of days._


	4. Chapter 4

Wounds, Chapter Four

Kid, Jimmy, Cody, Ike, and Noah were dressed in their Sunday-best, waiting for Lou to come out of the bushes. Not one of them spared a thought for Buck, who was out running the mail-relay. Their minds were all on where they were going.

"Come on, Lou," Cody called impatiently. "The dance is gonna be over before we get there, the rate you're goin'."

From the bushes, Lou replied, "Hold your horses. Ah'm comin'."

"_When_?" Cody asked. "All the girls are gonna be taken by the time we get there."

"Not if they're all as slow as Lou when it comes to changin'," Noah said quietly.

"Her shoulder's still hurt," Kid reminded them, "An' she's got all them buttons. She'll be out when she gets out."

A couple minutes later, Lou emerged from the bushes, wearing her dress.

"It's about time," Cody said, turning away towards the horses. But the other riders were a bit more appreciative of the change from Lou the 'boy' to Lou the girl, and took a minute to take in the sight. Lou obliged by doing a slow 360º spin so they could see her from all sides. Around her neck was the cameo that Jimmy had given her.

"Now _that_ is somethin' worth waitin' for," Noah said.

Kid searched for words. "Lou, you're…"

But Jimmy finished. "A damn sight prettier than the Kid, here."

Kid noticed the necklace around Lou's neck and pointed to his own neck to indicate it. "Where'd you get that?"

Lou glanced at Jimmy before answering, "A friend gave it to me."

"Who?" Kid asked.

"Just…a friend."

"Can we go now?" Cody asked, impatiently mounting up.

Kid and Lou stood off together nearby as the other riders surveyed the section of street in front of the school that had been designated as the site of the dance. "Well, Cody," Noah said, "all that rushin' to get here, and there ain't a pretty girl to be had."

Cody sighed. "I gotta admit, it's pretty slim pickin's. Lou's the best lookin' one here.

A dozen feet away, Kid and Lou were awkwardly trying to adjust to the change in social setting and Lou's change in appearance, as well as the fact that they were here in what might be a romantic setting, although they had decided to end the romance some time ago. "Well, here we are," Lou said.

Just as awkwardly, Kid answered, "Here we are." They were silent for a couple of seconds listening to the lively fiddle tune until Kid asked, "Would you like to dance or somethin'?"

Lou smiled, a touch of genuine humor at the corners of her mouth. "Only if they play a waltz."

"I'll tell you what," Kid said. "I'll go request us one, but you gotta save it for me."

"All right," Lou said.

Kid went up to the band leader and waited until the music stopped before talking to him. The band leader nodded, and Kid headed back to where Lou was waiting. The band struck up a waltz, and Kid smiled and bowed to Lou. She took his hand, and they began to dance. Lou was a little awkward at first, but got smoother as the dance went on. Noah, Cody, Ike, and Jimmy—taking note of what the Kid had done—raced each other to the band leader and stood in line. The band leader let the small group of musicians to play on their own while he bent an ear to take requests. Noah said something to the band leader, who nodded, and then Noah started threading his way through the people back to where Kid and Lou were.

Then it was Cody's turn. "Ah'm wantin' t' request a waltz," he told the band leader.

"Well, yer in luck, cuz the next dance is another waltz.," said the band leader.

"Ah meant fer the one _after_ the next," Cody said.

"Well, I ain't gonna play three waltzes in a row," the band leader told him. "You'll have to wait a bit."

"But the next one's Noah's request. Ah'm makin' _mah_ request for a waltz. You said you'd take requests, so I'm makin' one. You ain't a liar, are ya?"

Protesting, the band leader said, "But the band only knows two waltzes, an' we're playin' them already."

"Well, now, I don't mind hearin' the same ones again," Cody said.

The band leader peered at him. "Ya ain't gonna leave me in peace 'til I play one fer ya, are ya?"

Cody smiled. "No."

"Well, all raht," the band leader said. "But don't come back here askin' fer another 'un, cuz this 'un's _it_."

"I thank ya kindly," Cody said.

Ike was next in line. He held up three fingers and tapped them with his other hand in a repetitive rhythm.

"You want a waltz, too?" The band leader guessed.

Ike nodded.

"Ah don't s'pose you'd leave me alone if ah said 'no'?"

Ike shook his head.

The band leader sighed. "All raht, all raht. Git outta here, an' I'll play ya another waltz.

Ike left, and Jimmy stepped up. The band leader rolled his eyes heavenward. "Le' me guess. Ya want a waltz."

"Hell, no," Jimmy said. "I want a polka."

Lou finished dancing her fourth waltz, with Ike. Jimmy tapped Ike on the shoulder. Ike shrugged at Lou and went back to where the others were waiting their turns. "Thanks, Ike," Lou called after him, before turning her attention to Jimmy.

Jimmy indicated the necklace. "You wore it."

Lou shrugged, smiling. "Yeah, well, ah figured…what the Hell."

The band started playing polka music. "I believe they're playin' our song," Jimmy said.

Lou laughed. "Tell you the truth, ah'm startin' to get a little bored with them waltzes."

Kid, Cody, and the others watched in surprised amazement as Jimmy led Lou through a fast polka, which included twirls and moves that none of them had seen Lou do before. "Where'd she learn to do that?" Noah asked.

"_Her_?" Cody said. "What about _him_? _I_ can't do that. Kid, can _you_ do that?"

Kid didn't answer. He just watched the two of them dancing, his expression a lot less happy than it had been when _he_ was dancing with Lou rather than Jimmy.

Jimmy showed the band leader the money in his hand.

"Le' me git this straight," the band leader said. "Yer gonna pay me ten dollars to keep playin' polkas."

"That's right," Jimmy said.

"How come?" The band leader wanted to know.

Jimmy rubbed his chin and nodded to where Lou was standing with the Kid. "Ya see that purdy little lady over there next to the fella in the white hat? She's _particular _fond of polkas, an' this bein' her first dance an' all, I don't want her to be disappointed. So I thought—"

The band leader shook his head—he'd heard more than enough. "Never min'. It's yer money, an if ya want t' throw it away, it ain't none o' mah business why."

Jimmy patiently waited for his turn to dance with Lou again. Some of the other dancers had thinned out, not having the stamina to dance polka after polka, but dances in this area were few and far between, so most of the couples would rejoin the dancers after a short break.

By now Lou was getting used to switching partners among her fellow riders, but none of them could dance a polka as well as Jimmy could. Kid came closest, but she hadn't practiced the polka with him, and Jimmy had convinced her to keep her new-found dancing skills a surprise until tonight. She was actually enjoying herself, and especially enjoying dancing with Jimmy, but the humor of the situation was beginning to tickle her funny bone, and she laughed out loud.

"What is it?" Jimmy asked.

"Ah never heard anything like this in mah life," Lou said. "They just keep playin' the same three songs over an' over again."

"That a fact?" Jimmy said.

The way he said it made Lou suddenly suspicious, and the smile disappeared from her face. She stopped dancing and pulled him to a stop with her. "What'd you do, Jimmy? You didn't threaten him, did you?"

Jimmy pretended to be shocked. "Lou, I am disappointed that you would think such a thing of me. I _bribed_ him."

Lou snickered. "Bribed, huh? Well, ah guess that's all right, then." She indicated with her head that they could start dancing again, but another couple, taken off guard by their stopping, suddenly jostled them. Lou winced and rubbed her shoulder.

"You okay?" Jimmy asked.

"Ah could use a break," Lou admitted.

"Come on." Jimmy walked on the side of her wounded shoulder, to shield it, and escorted her to a secluded area where she wouldn't get bumped again. There was a convenient log for sitting, and he nodded to it. "Here, sit for a minute."

Lou sat and started rubbing her shoulder. Jimmy sat next to her so he could massage it, but Lou turned away. "That's okay, you don't have to do that."

Jimmy pulled her back. "Hold still. We promised Teaspoon we'd look after ya, so I'm lookin' after ya."

She relented, and Jimmy rubbed the shoulder for a few minutes. "Better?"

Lou nodded.

"You don't want to over-do this dancin', now. The muscles still ain't quite healed yet. You gotta give it time."

"Thank you, Dr. Hickok," Lou said dryly.

"Just givin' you the benefit of my experience, Lou."

Lou had had enough. She brushed his hand off. "Thanks."

Jimmy moved his hand from her shoulder to her back and looked at her. Lou glanced at him, then started to rise. "Ah think maybe we'd better get back."

Jimmy pulled her back down. "What's your hurry? The dance ain't goin' nowhere."

"But the others—"

"The others can wait. You ain't gonna make me break my promise to Teaspoon, are you."

Lou sighed and complied for a moment, but felt more and more uncomfortable the longer she sat there. After a moment, she stood up again. "Ah'd like to go back now."

Jimmy stood up with her. "Whatever you say, Lou."

She started to head back to the dance, but he said "Lou—"

She turned back to see what he wanted, and suddenly found his face crowding hers and his lips pressing against hers. She pushed him away.

Angrily, she said, "Don't you ever do that again!"

Jimmy was stunned. "But I thought—I mean, you wore the necklace an' all—"

"Ah wore it because a thought we were friends!"

"But you an' the Kid ain't a twosome anymore."

"Just 'cause it's over between us don't mean you can just step in an' take his place. Ah thought you understood!"

"But you—I mean, you _wore_ it…"

Lou ripped the necklace from around her neck and threw it on the ground. "ah ain't wearin' it now." She turned and left.

Jimmy tried to recover from his blunder. "Lou, wait! I'm sorry. I'm sor—"

But Lou was already gone.

Noah, Kid, and Ike were standing together, surveying the dancers.

"Where did Lou and Jimmy go?" Kid asked.

"They're prob'ly just takin' a break. They sure do look good together, don't they?"

Kid looked at him, but Noah didn't notice. His eyes were on the dancers. "Never saw her laugh so much before tonight, either." He spotted Lou on the other side of the dance area, where she was rubbing her sore shoulder. "There she is."

Kid left Noah and Ike to go up to her. Noah watched him go, then said to Ike, "Check me if I'm wrong, Ike, but didn't them two call it 'quits'?"

Ike shrugged.

Lou didn't see Kid approach, didn't even notice him until he touched her softly on her good shoulder.

"You okay?" he asked.

Lou covered with a smile. "Fine."

"Where's Jimmy?"

Lou improvised an answer. "He had to, uh, you know." She pointed a thumb back towards the woods.

"Feel like another dance?" Kid asked.

"Actually, Kid, ah was thinkin' 'bout headin' back to the camp. Ah've had enough dancin' for one night."

"Shoulder?" Kid asked.

Lou nodded.

"All right," Kid said. Let me just tell Cody an' the others where we're goin' an' I'll"

Lou interrupted. "No, that's okay. Ah can find mah own way back."

Kid hesitated. "Lou, I—"

She gave him a little push with her good arm. "Go on, Kid. Why should ah spoil your fun? Have a good time." She forced a smile and left.

Kid watched her go, and didn't tell her he'd rather be where she was.

The next day, Lou was pumping water into a bucket. The bucket filled, she set the handle to shut the water off, then started to pick up the bucket with her right hand. She grunted and quickly set it back down again, rubbed her right shoulder for a minute, then picked up the bucket with her left arm. With some difficulty, she managed to carry it towards the barn.

Jimmy had been chopping wood, when her movement caught his eye. He dropped the axe and ran over to her and tried to reach for the bucket. "You ain't s'posed to be doin' that."

Lou turned her back to him and kept her hold on the bucket handle. "Horses are dry. Somebody's gotta water 'em."

Jimmy tried to reach for it again, but again she swiveled away from him. "That 'somebody' don't gotta be you. Here, let me get that." He tried to go behind her and get the bucket from the other side.

Lou stubbornly swiveled the other way and continued towards the barn. "Ah got it."

"Liftin' water buckets ain't no good for your shoulder. Let me take it."

Lou pushed open the barn door with her right hand. "Don't do me no favors, Hickok." She went inside the barn and tried to close the door behind her, but Jimmy wouldn't let her. He followed her inside. "Well, can I at least talk to you? You ain't said two words to me since the dance."

With difficulty, Lou lifted the bucket by herself and attached the handle to the hook in the stall. "Git lost."

Jimmy tried for humor, "Well, that's two words, anyway."

Lou tried to leave the stall and go to the next, but Jimmy was in the way. He took the necklace out of his pocket and tried to give it to her. "I just wanted to give this back."

Lou let it drop. "Don't want it." She squeezed past him.

Jimmy got in front of her to stop her. "Dammit, Lou, you can't keep avoidin' me forever."

"Ah can try," she said, glaring at him. She tried to side-step around him, but he moved with her. "Get outta mah way, Jimmy!"

"Not until you hear what I have to say."

"Whatever it is, ah ain't interested." She tried to get past him again, but he grabbed her. "Quit runnin' away from me!"

"Let go of me!"

"In a minute. Now just listen. I'm sorry about the—"

Lou broke free, but he grabbed her again and pinned her to the barn wall. "Dammit, you're gonna hear me out whether you want to or not!"

"Hickok, ah told you—"

He ignored her protests. It's just that—"

Lou pulled her gun from its holster and pointed it at him.

"I'm only tried to apologize!" Jimmy protested.

"You got a funny way of doin' it," Lou told him.

Jimmy took a step forward. "Dammit, Lou, I just—"

Lou extended her gun arm threateningly, and he backed off. She sidled around him, still training her gun on him, and was backing toward the door when it opened and Kid stood there. He quickly took in the scene, and his suspicions were aroused. But since Jimmy's gun was still holstered, he didn't draw.

"What's goin' on?" Kid asked.

Lou holstered her gun. "Nothin'."

"Nothing?" Kid said in disbelief.

She left, and he followed her out. "Jimmy was just showin' me a trick, is all," she told him.

"Lou!" Kid called, Trying to stop her.

"Don't worry about it, Kid."

"I do worry about it."

"Ah can handle mah own business."

"Just because you an' I aren't seein' each other any more doesn't mean I'm blind."

Lou stopped and turned to face him. "Then _look_. Whatever problem ah may or may not have with Jimmy is mah problem, an' ah can handle it. Now are you gonna follow me all the way to the privy, too, or can ah go by mahself?"

She left, and Kid watched her go for a moment before heading back to the barn.

Jimmy was running his hands through his hair, obviously troubled by his encounter with Lou, when Kid returned.

"I want to know what's goin' on between you an' Lou," Kid said.

Jimmy brushed past him. "I don't see as that's any o' yer concern."

"She pulled a gun on you. I want to know _why_."

"Ask _her_, if she's the one who did it."

Kid followed Jimmy outside, refusing to be put off. "Stay away from her."

"I do as I like," Jimmy said, heading back toward the woodpile.

"I'm warnin' you, Jimmy."

Jimmy stopped to face him. "As I recall, what goes on in Lou's life ain't your concern anymore. So why don't you just find yourself a nice girlfriend who don't mind havin' to ask for your approval fro every little thing she does."

This was enough to make even the Kid swing. Jimmy punched back, and all Hell broke loose. As Kid was sent sprawling from a particularly vicious punch, there was a loud shot from a gun. Kid started to go for his gun, but then saw it was only Teaspoon who had fired, pointing his gun into the air, to make the two riders stop their brawl. Lou and the other riders were right behind him.

"Awl right, that's enough!" Teaspoon said. "Who threw the first punch? Jimmy?"

Reluctantly, Kid admitted, "I did."

Teaspoon looked at Kid in disbelief, then let his eyes go from one rider to the other. "Wot the Hell started this?'

Kid glanced at Lou, then answered, "Nothin'."

"Nothin', huh? Jimmy?"

Jimmy spread his arms innocently. "We were just talkin', an' all of a sudden, Kid, here, got a crazy look in his eye an' started swingin'."

"Uh huh," Teaspoon said dryly. "Well, since 'nothin' is wot started this, 'nothin' is wot you'll both be getting for your pay this week." He turned his back and left, followed by the other riders, except Lou, Kid, and Jimmy. Jimmy went on to his woodpile, and Lou gave Kid a look, then went back to the barn.

Kid was left standing in the yard by himself.

In the bunkhouse that night, when dinner was finishing, Teaspoon addressed the riders, not about the fight, which Teaspoon figured he had already put to rest, but about other issues important to the station. "Well, boys," he said to the riders, "ah got some good news an' some bad news for ya's."

"Let's hear it, Teaspoon," Buck said.

"The good news is, Lou tells me she's fit for ridin' relay. Ah'm puttin' her back in the schedule startin' tomorrow."

There was some clapping and a bit of cheering from Noah, Buck, Ike, and Cody.

"It's about time," Cody said.

"So what's the bad news?" Buck asked.

"The bad news is, ah just found out that army deserter is still in the area. Seems he was spotted near the old Steadman place. Musta been livin' in that ol' abandoned cabin up there."

Cody sighed. "Good Lord, not again…"

"Anyway," Teaspoon went on, "it is highly unlikely that he will come back this way, but I want you boys to keep your guns with you at all times, just to be on the safe side." He stood up and picked up his plate to take it to the plank counter where the dirty plates got piled, but then suddenly remembered something and reached into his pocket. He pulled out the cameo necklace and held it out to Rachel. "Oh, by the way, Rachel, ah found this in the barn. Figgered you musta lost it."

"It's not mine," Rachel said. "Lou?"

"It's not mine, either," Lou told him.

"Well whose is it then?" Teaspoon wanted to know.

Lou shrugged. Kid looked at her with a puzzled expression, remembering that he had seen it around her neck the night of the dance. Then he looked at Jimmy, who seemed to be concentrating on sopping up the liquid on his plate with a piece of bread.

Lou slept restlessly, troubled by a dream. She gasped, woke up, then sighed, realizing it was only a dream. She rubbed her shoulder for a moment, then quietly got up, put her shoes on, and left the bunkhouse—without taking her gun.

But she wasn't the only one having trouble sleeping. Jimmy watched her go, then rolled out of bed, quickly put his holster on, went over to Lou's bunk, took her gun out of its holster, and went to follow her.

Sensing movement, Kid also woke up, and saw him leave. He looked over at Lou's empty bunk, then reached for _his_ gun.

Outside, Lou was making her way towards the privy as Jimmy came out of the bunkhouse and followed her. A few seconds later, Kid also exited the bunkhouse.

"Lou—" Jimmy said.

She turned.

"It ain't safe to go around unarmed," Jimmy said, holding Lou's gun out to her.

From Kid's point of view, it looked like Jimmy was threatening Lou with a gun held in an extended arm.

"Jimmy!" Kid yelled.

Jimmy reacted without thinking, spinning Lou's gun to a firing position and twisting. Kid fired, wounding Jimmy in the arm and causing him to drop Lou's gun. Jimmy went for his own gun, but Lou reacted in time to deflect his arm just as he shot. To Kid, she yelled, "What the Hell are you doin'!"

Confused, Kid stammered, "You mean he wasn't--?"

"Dammit!" Jimmy swore. "I was only tryin' to do Lou a favor! She went out without her gun!"

"He was _handin'_ it to me!" Lou told him.

Realization of what he almost did hit Kid as the others came running up, the riders from the bunkhouse, Rachel from the station house, Teaspoon from the tack room.

"Wot happened?" Teaspoon demanded to know.

Seeing Jimmy grasp his arm, Rachel went to him. "You all right?"

"Just a scratch," Jimmy answered.

Kid, almost pathologically honest, searched for words to explain what happened, "Teaspoon, I…"

Teaspoon looked at him in astonishment. Had _Kid_ shot Jimmy? He might have expected something from a hot-head like Hickok, but Kid had always struck him as level-headed.

"Jimmy, I'm sorry," Kid said.

Shocked, Teaspoon stared at Kid. "Are _you_ responsible for that??

Kid couldn't answer.

Teaspoon could hardly believe it. "Kid, ah hate to do this, but…ah'm gonna have to fire you…"

But Jimmy held out his hand. "Now hold on a minute, Teaspoon! You can't fire him for savin' my life!"

Confused, Teaspoon turned to Jimmy. "Wot?"

"I was on my way to the privy," Jimmy improvised, "but I forgot my gun, so Lou, here, thought she'd bring it out to me. I guess the Kid had to go, too, 'cause he came followin' both of us. Meanwhile, that deserter was sneakin' off towards the barn. He saw me an' took a shot at me, an' Kid, here, shot back at him an' scared him off."

Teaspoon looked at Kid. "That right, Kid?"

"Teaspoon—" Kid began.

Jimmy patted Kid on the back. "Hell, Kid, don't worry about it. Just 'cause you _missed _don't mean you have to get all upset."

Teaspoon glanced at the barn. "Well, it's too dark to go after 'im tonight, an' he'll be long-gone by mornin'. Jimmy, go in the house with Rachel an' git yourself cleaned up. Kid, you an' me'll keep watch in the barn in case that deserter decides to come back."

Teaspoon and a reluctant Kid headed for the barn. The other riders, except for Lou and Jimmy returned to the bunkhouse.

"Come on, Jimmy," Rachel said.

"I'll be there in a minute," he told her.

Rachel left. Lou picked up her gun from the ground, then turned to Jimmy. "Why'd you lie for the Kid?" she asked him.

"Hell, Lou, _any_body can make a mistake." He looked at her for a second, then turned and followed Rachel back to the station house.

THE END

_Sorry, it took me a little while to figure out how to put the return breaks back into my uploaded files, that somehow disappeared in the uploads, but all four chapters should now have the appropriate breaks to indicate shifts in time/location. Anyway, if you like this story, let me know. I have a sequel to this one that I may get around to changing to narrative form. If you want to read it, I'll put it up._


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